In a conventional three-dimensional automated vehicle parking garage, mechanical elements or motorized conveyances, such as lifts (elevators), cranes, shuttle cars (moving platforms), turntables, and other mechanical elements are used to transport a vehicle from an entry/exit station at the arrival/departure level of the parking garage to a parking space in the parking garage and then retrieve the vehicle from the parking space and transport the vehicle to the entry/exit station, without human assistance.
In general, a typical automated vehicle parking garage consists of a storage (or parking) area with individual parking spaces, one or more entry/exit stations (or bays) for accepting a vehicle from a customer for parking and for delivering the vehicle to the customer upon retrieval, and motorized conveyances (mechanical elements), such as elevators and shuttle cars, used to transport the vehicle from the entry/exit station to the parking space and to transport the vehicle from the parking space to the entry/exit station for customer retrieval.
A conventional shuttle car typically comprises a single, unitary platform capable of raising a vehicle using hydraulic or other means and transporting the vehicle in a horizontal direction.